Abstract

Have your parents ever found you munching on candy and asked you, "How much candy did you eat?" Instead of saying, "I do not know?" and getting in trouble, maybe you would rather say, "I ate precisely 10.7 cubic centimeters of candy, Mom." Make your parents proud of their candy-eating genius child (you) with this simple science project.

Objective

Investigate which formula is the most accurate for estimating the volume of an M&M'S® candy.

Share your story with Science Buddies!

Yes,I Did This Project!
Please log in (or create a free account) to let us know how things went.

Credits

Sara Agee, Ph.D., Science Buddies

Teisha Rowland, Ph.D., Science Buddies

M&M'S® is a registered trademark of Mars, Inc.

Cite This Page

General citation information is provided here. Be sure to check the formatting, including capitalization, for the method you are using and update your citation, as needed.

Introduction

Geometry is the study of how to use math to describe and investigate different points, lines, and shapes. The way that a shape is described in geometry is with a formula, which is simply a mathematical way to calculate different properties of a shape like size, area, or volume. Volume is a unique property of three-dimensional shapes because three-dimensional shapes take up space in three different directions. Most real-world objects are three dimensional: balls, cars, food, etc.

The problem with geometric formulas is that they describe "perfect" or "ideal" shapes. A sphere is an "ideal" three-dimensional shape that is perfectly circular in all directions. Even though a ball is spherical in shape, it is not a perfect sphere. If geometric formulas describe "ideal" shapes and not "real" shapes, then how are they useful in the "real" world?

Most real-world shapes are not simple shapes and use complex geometry to be calculated. The properties of real-world shapes can also be approximated, or estimated, to the best possible measure with a geometric formula. This is called making a geometric model, and the most important part of making a good geometric model is choosing the formula that best describes the object. Even the most irregular objects can be modeled by using geometry: cars, airplanes, electronics, plastics, food, etc. Geometric modeling is very important for manufacturing because a product needs to have the same shape, made the same way, every time.

In this mathematics science project you will use geometry to produce a mathematical model of an M&M'S candy. If you look closely, you will see that the volume of an M&M'S candy is a bit irregular - it is not quite perfectly round. It looks like a ball shape (sphere) that has been squished on one side, as shown in Figure 1 below. You will test three different formulas (one for a sphere, one for a cylinder, and one for an ellipsoid) to see which formula makes the best geometric model of an M&M'S candy. You will test each formula by using it to calculate the volume of an M&M'S candy and then you will compare your result to the actual volume of a single piece of candy.

Figure 1.
An M&M'S candy looks like a sphere that has been flattened on one side. The blue M&M'S; on the left is shown from the top, while the orange M&M'S; on the right is shown from the side.

Terms and Concepts

Geometry

Formula

Volume

Model

Radius

Diameter

Height

Sphere

Cylinder

Ellipsoid

Questions

What is a geometric model? Why can it be useful?

Which formula do you think will calculate the most accurate volume of an M&M'S® candy? Why?

How are geometric formulas different from each other?

What other ways can you use geometric formulas to measure real-world objects?

Bibliography

You can do further research by visiting the following websites, which give information about geometry and calculating areas and volumes:

News Feed on This Topic

,
,

Note: A computerized matching algorithm suggests the above articles. It's not as smart as you are, and it may occasionally give humorous, ridiculous, or even annoying results! Learn more about the News Feed

Materials and Equipment

M&M'S® (110). One 7-oz (198-g) bag holds about 210 M&M'S.

Metric ruler that measures in centimeters (cm)

Metric measuring glass or cup that measures in milliliters (mL). Must measure at least 200 mL.

Water

Table or countertop

Piece of paper

Clay or Play-Doh. Use a small amount that you do not mind ruining.

Computer with Internet connection

Lab notebook

Remember Your Display Board Supplies

Poster Making Kit

ArtSkills Trifold with Header

Poster Lights

Experimental Procedure

First measure the actual volume of an M&M'S candy with a water displacement test.

In your lab notebook, make a data table like Table 1. You will be recording your measurements in it.

Fill the metric measuring glass or cup with 100 milliliters (mL) of water.

Make sure it has exactly 100 mL. You can do this by looking at where the top of the water is when your eyes are level with it.

Add 100 M&M'S to the water.

Why do you think you are using 100 M&M'S instead of just one? Dropping just one M&M'S into a glass of water will not change the water level by much. By using 100 M&M'S you will be able to more easily see a larger change in the water level that will be easier to measure. You can then divide the change you see for a hundred M&M'S by the number 100 to calculate the volume of a single M&M'S candy.

In the data table in your lab notebook, record the new, final volume of water.

Estimate the new volume as closely as you can based on the marks on the glass. For example, if it is right between a mark that says "150" and one that says "175," then you can estimate that it is at about 163 mL.

Subtract the beginning volume of water (100 mL) from the new volume of water (that you just measured) to calculate the actual volume of the 100 M&M'S. Write this in your data table.

To continue the example above, if the volume for 100 M&M'S is 163 mL, then you do this calculation: 163 mL - 100 mL = 63 mL. Meaning that 100 M&M'S have a volume of 63 mL.

Divide your answer by 100. This is the actual volume of a single M&M'S candy in milliliters. Write this answer in your data table. You will be referring to this value later.

In our example you would do this calculation: 63 mL / 100 = 0.63 mL. Meaning that each M&M'S candy has a volume of 0.63 mL. Remember, this is just an example of the calculations. You will have to do the experiment yourself to see what the real volume is!

Actual Volume (mL)

Starting Volume (mL)

100 mL

Final Volume (mL)

Actual Volume of 100 M&M'S (mL)

Actual Volume of 1 M&M'S candy (mL)

Table 1. In your lab notebook, make a data table like this one. You will be recording your water displacement measurements in it, which you will be using to figure out the actual volume of 1 M&M'S candy.

Next you will test different mathematical formulas to see which one is the best geometric model of an M&M'S® candy. Before doing this, make sure you do your background research and know what the terms radius, diameter, height, sphere, cylinder, and ellipsoid mean.

You will be making some careful measurements with (fresh!) M&M'S candies to use in the different formulas. In your lab notebook, make a data table like Table 2 to record your measurements in.

Long Side (cm)

Short Side (cm)

Diameter of 10 M&M'S

Diameter of 1 M&M'S candy (divide by 10)

Radius of 1 M&M'S candy (divide by 2)

Table 2. In your lab notebook, make a data table like this one. You will be recording your measurements in it, which you will be using to do calculations with different formulas.

Measure the long side of 10 fresh M&M'S lined up in a row. (Do not use any of the M&M'S that you used in the water displacement test!) Do this by using the following neat little trick:

Place a piece of paper on a clean table or countertop.

On top of the paper, place a small amount of clay or Play-Doh.

Flatten it and stretch it out into a little line. Make it run along the length of the ruler.

Line up 10 fresh M&M'S on their flat side, end-to-end, as shown in Figure 2. Poke them into some clay to keep them in a neat row with each M&M'S touching the next and no gaps in between them.

Figure 2. To measure the long sides of 10 M&M'S, line them up length-wise in clay or Play-Doh, next to the ruler. This image only shows 4 M&M'S lined up, but you will be using 10 M&M'S.

Measure the whole line of 10 M&M'S from end-to-end. Write this measurement in the new data table in your lab notebook. Write it in the "Long Side" column as the "Diameter of 10 M&M'S."

Divide your answer by 10. This is the long diameter of a single M&M'S candy. Write the data in your data table.

Divide your answer by 2. This is the long radius of a single M&M'S candy. Write the data in your data table.

Remove the M&M'S from the clay.

On the clay, line up the 10 M&M'S on their side so that you are measuring across the short side, or short diameter, as shown in Figure 3.

Again, use the clay to hold the M&M'S in place in a neat row with each M&M'S® touching the next.

Figure 3. To measure the short sides of 10 M&M'S, line them up on their side in clay or Play-Doh, next to the ruler. This image only shows 4 M&M'S lined up, but you will be using 10 M&M'S.

Repeat steps 5-8, but this time measure and do calculations for the short side of the M&M'S.

In the data table in your lab notebook, record your measurements in the "Short Side" column.

Next you will be making some calculations of volume using different formulas to see which one best calculates the volume of the M&M'S. In your lab notebook, make a data table like Table 3 to record your results for each formula.

For the "Actual Volume" use the value you determined in step 1f. Note: One milliliter is the same as one cubic centimeter (cm3). So, even though you determined the actual volume of one M&M'S candy in milliliters, you can write this value in cubic centimeters instead.

Calculated Volume (cm3)

Actual Volume

Sphere - Long Radius

Sphere - Short Radius

Cylinder

Ellipsoid

Table 3. In your lab notebook, make a data table like this one to record your results for each formula.

If you are comfortable doing the math yourself, you can calculate the volumes of different shapes by hand using the formulas on this page. Otherwise you can search for an online volume-calculating tool like http://www.calculator.net/volume-calculator.html, where you can enter the relevant dimensions for each shape and it will calculate the volume for you.

First you will calculate the volume of a sphere. You will be making the sphere calculation in two ways, with the long radius and the short radius.

Calculate the volume of a sphere using the long radius. Write the answer in your data table next to "Sphere - Long Radius."

Note: Since your measurements are in centimeters, the answers will be in cubic centimeters.

Calculate the volume of a sphere using the short radius. Write the answer in your data table next to "Sphere - Short Radius."

Next you will calculate the volume of a cylinder, using the radius and height of the cylinder. Write the answer in your data table next to "Cylinder."

Next you will calculate the volume of an ellipsoid. Ellipsoids have three axes. Use the M&M'S long diameter value for two of the axes, and the short diameter value for one of the axes. Write the answer in your data table next to "Ellipsoid."

Now you are ready to make a bar graph of your data. You can make one by hand or you can try using the Create a Graph website for kids from the National Center for Education Statistics.

Along the x-axis (the horizontal axis), make one bar for each type of volume calculation you did, such as a sphere using the long radius, sphere using the short radius, cylinder, and ellipsoid. Also include a bar for the actual volume that you determined in step 1f.

On the y-axis (the vertical axis) put the volume measurements in cubic centimeters (cm3).

How do each of the different calculated volumes compare to the actual volume that you measured? Which ones were more and which ones were less? Why do you think this is? Which calculation came the closest? Which formula do you think is the best one to use for an M&M'S candy?

If you like this project, you might enjoy exploring these related careers:

Mathematicians are part of an ancient tradition of searching for patterns, conjecturing, and figuring out truths based on rigorous deduction. Some mathematicians focus on purely theoretical problems, with no obvious or immediate applications, except to advance our understanding of mathematics, while others focus on applied mathematics, where they try to solve problems in economics, business, science, physics, or engineering.
Read more

Math teachers love mathematics and understand it well, but much more than that, they enjoy sharing their enthusiasm for the language of numbers with students. They use a variety of tools and techniques to help students grasp abstract concepts and show them that math describes the world around them. By helping students conquer fears and anxieties about math, teachers can open up many science and technology career possibilities for students. Teachers make a difference that lasts a lifetime!
Read more

Variations

Another way to look at your data is to calculate the difference between each calculation and the actual volume measurement. You can do this by subtracting the actual volume from the calculated volume for each formula. A bigger number is more different from the actual volume than a smaller number. You can also calculate something called the percent difference by dividing your answer by the actual volume. If you make another graph comparing the percent difference of each method, what does it show?

You can use this same experiment to find the best formula to calculate any other volume. Try using it for an egg, a football, an apple, a bar of soap, or any other irregular shaped object. Just make sure that you choose an object that can safely be submerged in water!
Which formula is the best?

For a more advanced science project, you can try to investigate how the shape of a candy affects how well many of those candies pack together. Use the water displacement test on a couple differently shaped candies to determine the actual volume of a single candy. Then fill a measuring glass with a certain amount of each type of candy, one type at a time (without water). See how high this filled the glass and divide this total volume by the number of candies to determine how much space one candy took, on average, when taking packing into account. How much space does each type of candy take up in the measuring glass (when packing is taken into account) compared to the actual volume of one candy? In other words, which types of candies pack together the best?
How do you think their shape affects this?

Share your story with Science Buddies!

Yes,I Did This Project!
Please log in (or create a free account) to let us know how things went.

Ask an Expert

The Ask an Expert Forum is intended to be a place where students can go to find answers to science questions that they have been unable to find using other resources. If you have specific questions about your science fair project or science fair, our team of volunteer scientists can help. Our Experts won't do the work for you, but they will make suggestions, offer guidance, and help you troubleshoot.

Related Links

News Feed on This Topic

,
,

Note: A computerized matching algorithm suggests the above articles. It's not as smart as you are, and it may occasionally give humorous, ridiculous, or even annoying results! Learn more about the News Feed

Looking for more science fun?

Try one of our science activities for quick, anytime science explorations. The perfect thing to liven up a rainy day, school vacation, or moment of boredom.

Compared to a typical science class, please tell us how much you learned doing this project.

Much more
More
About the same
Less
Much less

What was the most important thing you learned?

characters left

Science Buddies materials are free for everyone to use, thanks to the support of our sponsors. What would you tell our sponsors about how Science Buddies helped you with your project?

characters left

Optional:Attach a picture of your project (JPG, JPEG, GIF, PNG only)

Optional:Caption for picture

characters left

You can find this page online at: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Math_p022/pure-mathematics/mms-geometry?from=Home

You may print and distribute up to 200 copies of this document annually, at no charge, for personal and classroom educational use. When printing this document, you may NOT modify it in any way. For any other use, please contact Science Buddies.